KAJANG, MALAYSIA: They bought their dream homes in Taman Kantan Permai in the early 1990s.
They were promised by the developer that they could move in within two years. But development was halted and the project was abandoned.
The 792 owners waited for almost 15 years before the project was rehabilitated.
Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad (SPNB), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Finance Ministry Inc, completed rehabilitation of the housing project in under three years.
SPNB, which was tasked in 2001 to rehabilitate abandoned housing projects in Peninsular Malaysia, began work on Taman Kantan Permai in April 2005.
Yesterday, Selangor Housing, Building Management and Squatters committee chairman Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Ahmad Dahalan handed the keys to owners at a ceremony here.
The Taman Kantan Permai project involved 621 low-cost double-storey terrace houses and 171 medium-cost terrace houses.
Abdul Malek Md Sharif, 57 and his wife Rafidah Ismail, 51, were happy to receive the keys to the house they bought for RM50,000 in 1991.
"We have been waiting for 17 years, and at the same time, we have been servicing the housing loan and paying assessment," said Malek, adding that they had not decided if they were going to move into their new home.
